Is Mt Etna worth getting up close and personal with? Other places of interest in the area in Sicily (Naxos, Taorimna)?
thanks

If you have never been near the crater of a volcano it is definitely worthwhile. The drive up along the slopes is beautiful as well. In my opinion it is a must for the visitor to eastern Sicily. But then I was a geography major in college!

I definitely thought Etna was worth the drive up the crater. But take a jacket and coat - it was really cold/windy.

Taormina and Caltagirone were my favorties places in Sicily. Both are very unique and worth a visit.

I also really enjoyed seeing Mt. Etna up close. I went with a tour group from Taormina. I don't usually join tour groups, but was glad I did for this experience - I saw and learned a lot that I would probably not have appreciated on my own. In addition, getting to the top took several changes of transportation (bus, train, chair lift, 4x4), and it was much easier to have all that arranged for me rather than to try to make all the connections on my own. The tour I joined was by the SAT group and also included a brief stop at the Gole d'Alcantara, a gorge through unusual rock formations that I also found fascinating. Hope that helps!

And though i did not go to the crater because at that time an eruption had destroyed the lift at Philosopher's Tower i did love the narrow-gauge CircumEtnea train ride around its lava base - weird lava flows that periodically cut the line - and Randazzo was a neat town.

At the risk of being a dissenting voice here - to me it was not worth it and in fact I sat in the car most of the time. The drive there was moderately interesting - but long and once there.....nothing but grey everywhere and tourist places selling junk - to me anyway. I would say it was the only place in Sicily I felt indifferent/negative about. We stayed in Giardini Naxos which was great and enjoyed both that and Taormina in the area.

All most interesting (and now confusing!) responses - thanks. I have to say, my immediate reaction was as per eliza3... I hate to say it but I wasn't that fussed by the Grand Canyon, being more of an alpine-hills- are-alive-Swiss lakes and mountains kind of gal. So i thought Mt Etna may be lots of rock too.
What is is Taormina please?

Hi Mel - A German tourist last year got 'up close and personal.'

She didn't come back

Steve

We went to Etna when we had an unscheduled extra day in the area due to a train strike. it was interesting but I don't think a trip to the top is a "must see" of eastern Sicily.
Taormina, on the other hand, is. It is a beautiful town high above the Ionian sea with spectacular views, a beautiful Greek amphitheater and other sights, nearby beaches and lots of tourists

Hi,
The Etna is a beautiful sight to see in Sicily. Generally there are 2 type of tours available:
The south to see the summit craters
The north to do a trekking
You can find more info here:
http://www.volcanoetna.com/en/travel...excursion.html

Hope i'll be useful
Enrico

If you have enough time - go closer to Mount Etna. I also did a day trip from Taormina and enjoyed it a lot!

I know some people do not like Taormina because there are so many tourists but I loved Taormina. It is situated in a way that you always see Mt Etna - and depending on where you stay - the beautiful blue Ionian sea. The Greek amphitheatre is worth a nice long visit and there are so many lovely ceramic shops and places to sit and eat or drink something and just do people watching!

The Etna is an absolute must see. I would say it even worth traveling to Sicily puely to see the Etna. In the summer time you can also see the ocean from the Etna. You can walk around the old crater and you can also do an organised climb further up. The Etna itself actually covers many many miles and there are some great villages on the mountain side.